Straight to the Heart
by prettydynamic
Summary: Having his old flame Sharon Raydor work closely with his team in Priority Homicide, Lt. Andy Flynn felt deeply disturbed. Old scars never heal and passions never abate. Will he give in to his anger and desire or can he let sleeping dogs lie.


**A/N: There have been so many nice, sweet, hot, wild and creative stories made with the theme of Shandy knowing each other prior to their meeting in RED TAPE during the Closer Era. I'd like to try my own version and hope it would also entertain although I have really found so many versions that I love, that I believe are more fun and marvelously written than mine.**

 **Please note that this is the R version but will definitely have another story taking place before RED TAPE that is not rated R. 😊**

* * *

"Come on, Lieutenant. Please talk to me. Tell me everything that's in your head that's causing you distress," said the doctor as he looked up from his notebook, seated on the opposite side from where Andy was lying down on a long black patient's lounge chair.

He was usually open about his concerns, about everything that may bother him in the cases he had handled within the last twenty-five years he had been on the force. But opening up about his relationship with her was something he could not talk about with anyone. Perhaps, that's why it had been mildly affecting.

"I don't know where to begin, doctor," said Andy.

"We have enough time. Why don't you start from the beginning…"

Andy didn't know when he started obsessing about her. Couldn't remember when he started fantasizing about tasting her lips, running his hands to caress her alabaster skin, tasting every inch of her until she cried out his name. He wanted to look into her lovely emerald green eyes when she drowns herself in ecstasy. Would it darken like a warm shade of ocean green during the storm or would it swirl into a shade of jade and amber? Sometimes, he believed he was going mad thinking about her.

He didn't know if constant interaction was doing good for his sanity or did it actually led to his slow death in purgatory. His day was always made every time they run into each other. No amount of stress at work could ruin his mood and no matter how deeply affected he got at a case, when she talked to him or even castigate him for a misconduct during a case that usually end in a verbal spar or exchange of murderous glare, it felt like it was a dinner date. He indeed had gone crazy. He had suppressed his feelings for years. Masked his desire and attraction for her with disgust and hate, and it had been his shield, his solace for many years until they had started running into each other more often with her transfer to FID, until they began finding themselves working together again, albeit occasionally, it had dug up a can of worms, it was enough an instance to bring back the past that he thought he had buried and forgotten.

It battered his heart to have his unrequited love and admiration for her resurfacing once again. He tried to get her out of his system, and for so long he thought he had but each day he gazed upon her beauty, each day they accidentally brushed against each other while dealing with a case, each time he heard her husky voice, he found himself drawn more and more into the pool of her enchantment. Provenza was right… she was a witch, for she had bewitched him and enslaved him.

"The beginning…" echoed Andy in daze.

"Yes, the beginning, when things had become disturbing, when things started affecting the normalcy of things in your life," explained Dr. Linden.

Andy comfortably nestled on the pillow of the chaise lounge and sighed.

Perhaps it started when he first met her when they were in their early twenties, impressionable young officers of the force. There was a bivouac training for newbies on that summer of eighty-five. Andy and his friend Derek had been running late on their arrival on the first day. By the time they arrived camp the new officers were assembled on the field, the Lieutenant in charge was already addressing the group. As they reached the Lieutenant to report, Andy apologized in between breaths.

"Good morning, sir. I'm sorry we're late," managed Andy despite his heavy panting from running for a few miles in trying to reach the camp on time.

"I am Lieutenant Jones your squad leader. There is no excuse for being late, Sergeant. I don't care if your dog died or the bus run out of gas. You cannot be late in all our activities this week. Now give me 250 push-ups."

When neither Andy nor his friend Derek made a move, the Lieutenant yelled, "Now!"

Andy heard the Lieutenant the first time but he did not move right away to himself sometime to rest. He had been running the last 30 minutes in trying to arrive the camp on time and he hadn't had a drop of water.

He thought his lungs were going to collapse as he completed his 250 push-ups facing the squad. Andy happen to glanced up towards the twenty four officers watching them instead of looking down on the ground and then he caught sight of her… Her chestnut brown hair was tied in a ponytail and the blaring sun had given it a reddish hue that made him take notice of her. Despite the ache he felt in his limbs, he continued harder to impress her and when he was done he stood up and gave a salute to the Lieutenant.

"Since you two have been late. Let me fill you in. For the next couple of days, you will be given a set of activities and challenges to do and you will do it in pairs, but since you two are late I will not allow you two to be paired together. There are two left without partners, Sergeant O'Dwyer and Sargent Wilkes."

To Andy's surprise a muscular man and the woman with chestnut hair stepped out of the ranks when their names were called. It must be his lucky day.

"Sergeant Flynn, why don't you pick a partner," said Lt. Jones.

Before Andy could reply, his friend protested. "Isn't it unfair he gets to pick first."

Lt. Jones gave him a mock smile. "Sergeant Thompson, you should learn that life is not fair. And for you to remember that, give me a hundred push-ups."

Begrudgingly, Andy's friend complied at the Lieutenant's command.

For whatever reason Lt. Jones may want to create some contention, he smirked and said, "I will leave it to Sargent Flynn if he would let you take the first pick."

Andy wouldn't care any less if his friend get to have the first pick but he was afraid he would choose Sergeant O'Dwyer and he couldn't let that happen.

"I'm afraid I'd like to make the most of it since fate had been on my side today… I'd like to be on a team with Sergeant O'Dwyer."

His friend Derek sighed in relief as he didn't seem to want to be paired with a woman.

Lt. Jones gave them final instructions for the rest of the day and the team activity the next day. After which they were led to an extensive obstacle course which they would have to finish individually. As an added punishment, since Andy and Derek were not able to deposit their enormous backpacks to their barracks, they would need to go through the course with their backpacks on their back. Their bags were loaded of their week supply of clothes and necessities and it was by no means heavy and cumbersome when you are dangling from a rope upside down trying to cross an artificial river 50 feet long.

By the time Andy managed to climb up the last wall on the obstacle course, he had been too exhausted to move when he stumbled on the ground after completing the course. He laid on his back, his eyes closed as he tried to catch his breath.

When he opened his eyes, he thought he had died and gone to heaven for staring back at him were the beautiful green eyes of his partner for this week's activities.

"Hi! I brought you some water. The fountain is still yards away and by the looks of you, you won't be able to walk another step," smiled Sharon.

Andy took the paper cup she handed him and returned her beautiful smile. He gulped it within a few seconds. It wasn't enough to abate his thirst but enough to spare him some strength back.

"Thank you. My name is Andy," he told her.

"Sharon. Where's your friend?" she said.

"I don't know… I must have left him somewhere back on that muddy terrain," said Andy.

"You're awfully fast considering the load on your back and the head start you were given with all that running and push-up you did."

Andy smiled. "I try my best. All the time I have been telling myself to hurry so I could rest after the end of it all and look it gave me time to lie down. You are just like the flash."

"You are very funny, Andy. I was just ahead of you by a few minutes and thought I could give you some water. I need to go back to the women's barracks. I'll see you tomorrow on our first challenge."

Andy watched as she walked back after waving goodbye. Their first interaction was short but he felt the chemistry and he was mesmerized by her beauty. Now he knew why he missed the first scheduled training due to a severe flu and had to join the second batch of trainees, he was meant to meet his destiny… Sargent Sharon O'Dwyer.

Little did Andy know that destiny had other plans for them and they wouldn't be together until after twenty five years.

* * *

The doctor watched Andy's body language as he listened intently on his recollection. He could recall everything vividly like it was only a few days ago. His eyes were intently fixed on the ceiling as he narrated his tale. Every detail was elaborate, and the clear expression of his feelings candid, honest and emotional, baring his soul without hesitation.

The doctor interrupted him with an amused smile as he paused to find the precise words he wanted to describe the moment he and Sharon first worked with each other.

"Are you telling me, Lt. Flynn the root cause of all these anxiety and sleepless nights started some 20 years ago?"

"I don't know… maybe… you told me to start from the beginning so I'm telling how we first met and how things had been with us… before … before everything was shattered and broken. Maybe, just maybe you could give some sense into all these. Why can't I forget her? Why can't I move on? I did everything to forget her but she became more imbibed in my system," he told him in anguish.

"Maybe it was karma. I had been bad and selfish… I hurt her… but she also hurt me… I only did it because I thought it would make me forget her… I didn't mean to hurt her… Maybe she didn't mean to hurt me either. But it's unfair. We were meant to be… she knew how good we were together," he rambled almost incoherently in his agitated state.

"Before you tell me about your anger… on how anger and hatred started to possess you, tell me how things were when it all started. Continue about the joy and the friendship. Think of the good times again," said the doctor.

It took Andy a moment or two before he could continue. His breathing had increased and his heart rate doubled. He had been agitated and infuriated that he needed a while to resume back on his calm and collected recollection of pleasant memories and wonderful times of the past.


End file.
